A Narrow Escape
by Dustfinger's cheering section
Summary: Mokuba is getting kidnapped. Again. Except this time a stranger steps in and disappears again just as quickly. Alternate Universe of the Battle City Arc. Contains Original Character. Note: Everything is liable to change, including title, summary, genres, rating, and listed characters.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.**_

Tipping back the paper cup, I drain the dregs of my lukewarm hot chocolate before aiming the cup at a nearby trashcan. It goes in with _ting!_ and I grin just a bit. Slipping my sunglasses off my head, I catch movement in the corner of the mirrored lenses before I slip them over my eyes. Turning to watch the show, I see a kid halfway down the street struggling with some goons. My eyebrows raise, it doesn't take a genius to see he doesn't belong with them. Adjusting my coat, I start their way.

"Hey!" I hail as I get closer. All the parties freeze, and the kid looks relieved. Two of the goons catch hold of the kid, while the third takes a step towards me. I smirk and cross my arms. "Listen up, Wise Guy," I tell the thug. "Here's how it's gonna go down. You drop the kid and I let you walk away from this. We understand each other?" He laughs a bit at me, and his buddies yack it up. "You're a pretty little thing," he tells me, "And since_ I'm _in such a good mood today, I'll let you keep walking and forget what you've seen. Sound good, Cupcake?"

My smile turns dangerous. I take a few steps forward and come within touching distance. "Cupcake?" I question, my voice sickly sweet. He smiles, not seeming to realize how thoroughly he's pissed me off. My head tilts to the side, and I inform him, "I prefer 'Your Worst Nightmare'." As soon as the words left my mouth, I swung out my foot and kicked the side of his knee in, making him drop to the pavement. Before he can respond I land another blow on his stomach with my steel toed boots, and walk out of his range towards his buddies. One of them rushes forward and meets me head on, a punch already flying my way. I dodge it by coming closer to him and stomp on his foot. As I turn around I use my elbow to break his nose, and then flip him over my shoulder and let him slam into the brick wall and then join his buddy on the now bloody concrete.

My body doesn't move quite quick enough, so goon number three lands a firm punch on my torso, and I almost crumple but force myself upright again. Thankfully, he's still trying to hold onto the kid with one hand, so it's not that hard to knock him out with a few well-placed punches as the kid distracts him at exactly the right moment. After another few moments, all three goons are lying in a groaning, semi-unconscious heap on the pavement. Bent half over, I lean on the wall a second and catch my breath. Surprisingly, the kid didn't run as soon as he was free. Obviously, he lacked serious fight and flight instincts. Most likely how they caught him in the first. Probably stemming from confidence, stupidity, or he's used to having someone around to protect him.

The kid has a mop of messy dark hair, and darkish purple-grey eyes to match. He's wearing jeans, and a striped shirt under a beige vest, with a visible Duel Monsters card necklace over the shirt. He's watching me with something like respect, and gratitude clear on his face. He's a couple years younger than me, and the innocence of a younger kid shines in his eyes. I try to give him my most reassuring grin, and am gratified when he gives me one back. I raise back up to my full height, breath caught, and extend a black-nail polished and lace gloved hand towards him. He takes it after a pause, and we shake hands.

"So," I begin, "You got someone around here to keep an eye on you?" Gesturing a hand towards the pile of hired flesh, "You seem feel popular today, and I'd hate to have you walk away from one mess only to fall in with another group of meatheads." He considers my words for a moment, and nods. "Yeah," he tells me. "Big Brother can't be too far from here," he finishes.

"Right," I raise an eyebrow at that. "Well, does 'Big Brother' have a cell phone you can call?" I asked as I dug out my own and held it out towards the kid. He nodded, and grabbed the out dated, scratched up cell. He dialed a few numbers, but his only answer was a dial tone. "Okay," I tried to remain chipper for the kid's sake. "Where exactly is your brother supposed to be right now?" The kid just kind of shook his head, and explained, "He's watching the Battle City tournament." I nodded a bit in understanding. Battle City covered a lot of ground. After a few minutes of talking, we decided to just keep walking around until we saw 'Big Brother'.

It didn't take a long time to make our way towards downtown Domino City. I hadn't been in the area long, but even I could see how unusually crowded the city was. Battle City was a big deal, and if I was still playing card games, I knew I would have been one of those entries with a duel disc strapped to my arm, trying my luck against anyone I could find. The kid liked watching the duels, I could tell in the way his eyes followed every game we passes. "You a duelist?" I asked him. He started, as if he had been caught up in the game we were near. It was pretty fierce, and it looked like a close match. It was only with great reluctance that he kept walking with me. "I know how to play," the kid answered me.

I made a small noise of understanding. "I think everyone knows how to play," I confessed to him conspiratorially. "Just not everyone is an exhibitionist like these yahoos," I finished. He got an odd look on his face, like he didn't know whether he was allowed to laugh or not. At my encouraging grin he giggled a bit. It was good to see the kid lighten up a bit. I was almost worried that the afternoon's events might be traumatizing, but it seemed like he was already bouncing back. The duelist with his back to us won the duel. His friends gathered around him to congratulate him, and when they turned around, they seemed to recognize me. Or rather, they recognized the kid, I realized, as a spiky haired fellow cried out, "Mokuba!" And the kid's head perked up.

"Hey Yugi," The kid called back as the group approached us. "Oh no," I said under my breath. The kid turned to look at me. "Don't tell me," I told him, "That your big brother is one of those performing monkeys who play a children's card game for fun on the weekends?" The kid (Who I now knew to be Mokuba) laughed a little. They reached us, and I turned to Mokuba and asked, "So which yahoo is your big brother?" He just shook his head. I did my best to fade into the background, which I was surprisingly good at that. I ignored all direct questions, and simply let the kid do the talking. Turns out, none of the performing monkeys were 'Big Brother'. In a quick flurry of dialogue, the story was disclosed. The kid painted me as more of a hero than I preferred, which drew attention back to me.

The Spikey-Haired-One ("Yugi") turned towards me, and extended a hand. "We thank you for taking care of a friend of ours," he spoke in a deep voice, and had a calm, serious expression on his face. We shook hands lightly, and I did my best to ignore an odd, familiar feeling tingle that engulfed my hand. It wasn't the butterflies of a crush, but it was more like the shivers of returning to a place you knew when you were young, and being able to see nothing but the changes. Letting go of his hand, I turned and knelt down so that I was face to face with the kid. "You trust them to keep you safe?" I asked him. He nodded a little hesitantly, seeming to understand where I was going. Pulling a marker out of my leather jacket, I took one of the kid's hands and wrote a number on it. "You need anything," I tell him, "Anything at all, you call this number, and you ask to talk to Scarlet. They'll call me, and take care of you in-between. Okay?" I asked to make sure he understood. The kid nodded vigorously his understand. Standing up, I reached out a hand and messed up his messy dark hair. "You take of yourself now, you hear?" I told the kid. Turning to the leader of the little group, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a few crumpled bills. "You take the kid to get some ice cream, okay?" I told the spikey haired one. "He's had a rough day," I finished, and stuffed the bills into his hand.

They all seemed a little frozen at my abrupt exit, and stared after me as I disappeared off into the crowd of duelists and spectators. If those people were lucky at all, they'd never see me again.

_**Author's Note: This is just a little something I dreamed up. This is the first thing I've ever posted for this section, so be gentle, yeah?**_

_**I know it's not great. In fact, it's not even very good. That's why it's a fragment. I don't think I'll continue this. **_

_**But please don't use Scarlet. She's my OC. I'm actually writing an original novel about her. So this is like a mini-crossover with a book that hasn't even been published. I wrote this because someone read a songfic I wrote a couple years back, and told me they didn't really like it that much purely because it was a songfic. So, I decided that it would be a good idea to write this, so that they could see that I have become a better writer. They've posted a few stories using this Yu-Gi-Oh, and I've always loved the series, so I figured I might as well have Scarlet drop in here convienently. And yeah, I do know that nobody tried to kidnap Mokuba during Battle City, but I figured that if Marik had finished off Yugi earlier, he would have kidnapped Mokuba next to use as bait to get Kaiba to show up so that Marik could try and get Obelisk the Tormentor off him. So this is technically alternate universe.**_

_**Right now, I'm going to post this as complete. But the chances are good that it will get updated at some point. I will most likely use this a writer's block cure. If people like it enough, then updates will get more regular. So, tell me what you think and drop me a line.**_

_**Lot's of Love,**_

_**Dustfinger's Cheering Section**_

_**P.S. Not counting the AN, this chapter is one thousand, five hundred, and sixty one words long (1,564).**_


	2. Conversations in the Dark

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!.**_

Grumbling about the rain under my breath, I pulled out my keys and shoved them into the lock. Turning the key, I nearly screamed out my frustration when the door didn't pop open. Resigned, I used my good shoulder and rammed it into the door with a fair amount of force. This time, the door opened cleanly, and then I was inside. Still muttering, I slipped off my water-logged boots, and hung my leather jacket at the door, praying it would dry out on its own.

The weather had soaked my hair through, and it was now dripping through my clothes and onto the floor. With a half-hearted curse I slipped a few steps down the hall and into the kitchen in my damp socks. The TV wasn't on, so with any luck Jasper hadn't noticed my absence yet. And hopefully he would continue to be oblivious until I could clean up after my entrance. Reaching the sink, I leaned over it and rung my hair out like a towel. The amount of water my hair could absorb never failed to amaze me. And then the light in the living room flicked on. Crap. Admitting defeat, I made my way over the living room. I had faced worse than Jaspers' moods in my time. Repressing the shudder those thoughts elicited, I sat on the thankfully fabric couch. In my current drenched state I would have destroyed the leather chair Jasper currently occupied. I looked up towards him and faced the music.

Jasper was a tall young man, with a muscled build and a pale skin tone. He had honey colored hair and dark brown eyes, a slender nose and a generous mouth. Back home on the circuit he was called Jack by pretty much everyone, because that was exactly what he was, a Jack of All Trades. He was a model, an actor, or a business investor, simply chosen as the mood struck him. Jasper was one of those amazing people who seemed to succeed at whatever they touched. Once upon a time, I had been as well. I met his dark eyes as he leaned forward in his chair, hands going to his temples and rubbing furiously. Under his dark eyes were equally dark circles, and I felt guilty about putting them there.

"What exactly am I supposed to do with you?" Jasper seemingly questioned the air before him. I sat up straighter, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Really, Scarlet," Jazzy continued obliviously, "How exactly am I supposed to keep you out of trouble when you leave at all hours seeking it out?" My eyes narrowed further, and it took all I had in me to keep my temper in hand and not blow up at him. A year ago I would have gotten up and walked away, or perhaps I would have acted apologetic, and then robbed him blind once he went to sleep, disappearing into the shadows of the night, never to be seen again. But I wasn't that girl anymore. Not even remotely. I had lost all of that, and I could never get it back. Scarlet Warren had turned over a new leaf, just not exactly by choice.

Swallowing my temper, I let the eternal numbness that always seemed to haunt me quench the fire. Moments later I was cooled enough to speak. "You don't have to do anything with me," I informed Jasper, except we both knew it wasn't true. For better or for worse, we were stuck together. He seemed to catch my tone, and looked carefully at my cool expression. The wall was up, the drawbridge retracted. His jaw clenched audibly, and if I had been all there I would have flinched. "This needs to stop," Jasper told me. "It's not safe out there-" I cut him off, right then and there.

"It will never be safe_ 'Out There'_," I reminded Jazzy firmly. "I can't sit here in your apartment and rot. I need to go outside, and breathe fresh air, and try to find something worth living for," I finished. We eyed each other warily. We'd had this conversation before, many times before. Neither of us ever won, and it always seemed to end with one of us breaking something or storming off into the night. Considering that I had just came in out of the rain, I counted on the fact that Jasper wouldn't want to risk another fight tonight, driving me back out into the bad weather.

Doing my best to quickly change the subject, I grabbed randomly at the first thing that came to mind. "I gave a kid your number today," I told him. The surprise was visible on his face. I had always had a soft spot for children, but with the way I had been acting recently, I wasn't exactly approachable by any stretch of the imagination. Suddenly his face went blank, and I knew what his next words would be before he spoke them. "Why, exactly," Jasper drawled out, "Did the kid require a way to contact you further?" He had me cornered, and we both knew it. I had been avoiding people like the plague ever since Haven. There was no way my giving the kid a way to contact me again was a simple gesture of friendship. I let out a breath: may as well tell him now. "The kid was getting abducted by some bozos on the street. I stepped in," I explained in as few words as I could manage. "After," I continued, stopping Jasper from interrupting, "We walked around and found some friends of his. We looked for his big brother, but he was MIA." I continued contemplatively, "Some big brother."

"'Stepped in', meaning what, exactly?" Jasper picked out. My eyes burned, and I exhaled a breath I didn't think I was holding. "You know exactly what that means," I pointed. "You started a fight," Jasper stated, "Again." The flush that covered my cheeks was one of anger at those suited creeps. "What happened," Jasper questioned, "To keeping a low profile?" I fought to keep my composure as the last of my cool vanished like ice in the sun. "What would you have done?" I asked Jasper furiously. The silence stretched out a bit, because we both know what Jasper would have done. He would have called the police, maybe alerted a shopkeeper, but then he would have kept on walking. Out of the two of us, I was the only one with the doomed hero complex.

Jasper wasn't heartless. He probably would have felt guilty for not helping the kid, but he would have been able to live with it. The last thing either of us needed was more attention. The quiet darkness kept us safe. That's why we had chosen Japan, far away from anyone who knew us. Our friends and families were long since dust in the wind, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. But still. There were still people out there loyal to our enemies, no matter how long it had been since they had fallen. There would always be wackos out there who wanted to rule the world, and we would be only too readily identified as the idiots who would stand in their way. Except that Jasper thought the war was over. That we could move on, and live quiet lives in obscurity. It was a nice little plan, but Jasper didn't seem to quite understand the meaning of laying low did not cover entering high stakes and heavily televised competitions. I had had it up to my ears with card games, but Jasper apparently wasn't done yet. I eyed the duel disc on the coffee table with disdain. If Jasper wanted to be a performing monkey like all the other idiots in the streets, well, then that was his business. His chances of making it to the finals were low enough that I didn't press the issue. Duel Monsters was just another card game, and playing a children's game couldn't hurt anyone. That was probably the appeal of it for Jasper. We had both been in too many card games deciding the fate of the world in the past year alone. Playing a card game that couldn't hurt him was most likely relaxing after all the trauma of Haven. All KaibaCorp wanted from him was his rarest card, and that was easily replaced.

Our eyes met and we both knew the argument was pointless. We wouldn't see eye to eye on this. I didn't approve of his extra-curricular activities, and he was dead set against mine. Finally, he visibly sighed, signaling his defeat. "Just try not to get hurt, alright?" Jasper told me. "Keenan would turn over in his grave if anything happened to you." My eyes closed and my fists clenched, and I struggled to breathe. After a moment I retorted, "I didn't think he actually had a grave." It was exactly the wrong thing to say. But Jasper should have never brought Keenan up in the first place. He was a sore subject for both of us. My head fell into my hands, and my shoulders shook just a bit. "I'm sorry," I breathed out, and though I didn't see it, I knew he'd nodded in acknowledgement.

Trying to find a subject that would his mood lighter, because I had pretty much destroyed any chance of his being happy tonight. My eyes moved over the duel disc and I recalled how bright his eyes had looked when he came home with it the first time. "The tournament started today, didn't it?" I questioned Jasper cautiously. A smile crossed his lips, more an amused smirk. "Yeah, it did," Jasper told me. I waited a long moment before looking him straight in the eyes. Another moment followed and I raised my eyebrows, gesturing with my hands, saying "Well?"

"Well, what?" Jasper answered, like the smartass he was. I laughed and rolled my eyes at him. "How did you do, Idiot?" I clarified, tossing a couch pillow at his head. He dodged it, and the pillow thumped softly on the wall behind him. Jasper laughed, but then he reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out four clear cards, splaying them out in front of me, as if asking for approval. I bit me lip, wondering how foolish I would sound, but then decided, to hell with it. "That's good, right?" I clarified. It was Jaspers turn to laugh raucously. "I only need eight cards to qualify for the finals," Jazzy reminded me. "Four cards on day one? That's bloody fantastic," he told me. Jasper laughed at my expense some more, and I knew all was forgiven in his eyes. We chatted a bit more about the tournament, and the duelists he had faced. Some of them were reportedly famous, but I had never heard of any of them.

Surprising us both, the clock struck two, and we decided that it was time for bed. Jazzy needed his sleep; the tournament competition would likely get all the more fierce tomorrow, as most of the weak duelists would be weeded out in the initial feeding frenzy. However, it would be a few more days before I discovered how truly shark-like duelists could be. I went to sleep that night (or rather early morning) with a lighter heart than I had ad the day before. I had finally been able to do something worthwhile by helping that kid. It felt good to have a purpose again. No matter how necessary it was, I truly didn't want to spend the rest of my life hiding in the concealing darkness, safe and sound and bored to death. My whole life had been hard won by action. This sleepy existence I had been forced to inhabit grated on my nerves in every single way possible. Turning out the light next to my bed, I relaxed back into the cool pillow and prayed for a night free from the screams of the dead I hadn't been able to save, and never would be able to avenge.

_**Author's Note: So, here's the next installment. It takes place several hours after the end of the last chapter, and I hope it sheds a bit of light on Scarlet's character. **_

_**This story seems to be going mostly unnoticed, and I'm kind of okay with that. The stories I've had before with lot's of reviews always seem to be the hardest to write. I work best when I'm on my own, and only have to answer to my own expectations. **_

_**So, first order of business. So far, Scarlet isn't a Mary Sue. If she becomes one, you have full permission to slap me silly. **_

_**This story is helping me flesh out my own personal pet project of a novel, so that's good. It wouldn't seem like a crossover would be good for that, but understanding just how screwed up my original characters are helps me significantly. **_

_**Next order of business, be prepared for this story to almost never be updated. I'm a senior in high school, and I'm already working on an orginal novel. In addition to that, I'd like to finish some other incomplete storues I have on this site. So I probably shouldn't even be starting this anyway. But I did, and I am. And when when I need a break, Scarlet will probably be visiting Domino city fairly often. **_

_**This chapter, not including my author's note, is two thousand and twenty four (2,024) words long. **_

_**Thank you to El3v3n and Blank for reviewing my story. **_

_**As to reviews, I have a bad habit of not answering them. But if you have questions, leave a review and I will PM you back with the answers. **_

_**Lot's of Love,**_

_**Dustfinger's Cheering Section**_

_**P.S. Please review if you have the time. **_


	3. Early Morning Wanderings

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!**_

Waking up wasn't an enjoyable experience.

Without even looking over at my clock I knew that it was way too early to be up. My room was still dark, and I was possibly even more exhausted than when I had laid down. My eyes were crusted over with sleep, and my mouth felt dry. My hair was greasy, and I hadn't bothered to wash my face before I went to sleep. Stretching out into awkward positions, I tried to convince myself that I wanted to sleep longer, but my self-preservation instinct was stronger than that. Any more sleep and I would slip into a deeper REM cycle, maybe deep enough to dream. And that just wasn't an option. I survived the day-to-day grind by keeping myself too tired to dream.

Flipping over, I buried myself under my pillow and blankets, breathing deep and trying to find the calm peacefulness of sleep. It didn't work. Resigned, I rose from my bed, shaking all the creaks out of my neck, and walking slowly to combat early morning vertigo. The bathroom was my first stop, and as soon as I turned on the light, I wished I hadn't. My eyes were surrounded by bags, and my clothes looked as fresh as they felt. In short, I didn't look a thing like the girl Keenan had fallen in love with. She had been clean and pristine, with a fresh short of tomboyish charm, and a twinkle in her eye. I hadn't been that girl for a very long time. Not since before Haven, before Domino, before Jasper.

Shaking off the ghosts of my past, I turned on the sink, splashing water on my face. Maybe I could wash off the grime, but I would never feel clean again. I had seen too much, lost too many people. The coolness of the water was a double-edged sword: on one hand it calmed my headache, but on the other it was a cruel reminder of the girl that would never look back at me in the mirror again. Of the power that was no longer mine. I shivered as the water splattered my shirt. The apartment was cold.

Heading back out into the living room, something on the table caught my eye on the way to the kitchen. It was the performing monkey's shackle; it was Jasper's Duel Disk. With obvious trepidation I made my way over, ignoring the sudden thickness in the air. There was something about those cards that tickled, some kind of power inside them. Not Soul Cards, obviously, nothing like the painful burning those incited, but certainly not benign like you would expect from a children's card game. Hands shaking, I reached out and removed the deck from its slot. The cards tingled in my hands, and I began to understand why Jasper was so attached to this game: there was power here.

Flipping through his deck, it didn't take me long to understand the game. There were avatars, monster cards for active play. There were cheat codes, spell cards to alter the normal circumstances. There was the trickery of trap cards, and a few others that seemed to be combinations of the three types. Looking at the cards both individually, and as a whole, something seemed to be missing. I remembered Jasper agonizing a few days back over how his deck was incomplete. I hadn't really understood, and I hadn't really wanted to. Card games had lost their appeal in sight of recent events.

With a heavy heart I returned his deck, almost sad to have the tingle of power out of my hands. Not quite in control of movements, I grabbed my jacket, first making sure my wallet was inside, and then leaving out the front door. I wandered the streets with no real destination in mind, simply enjoying the sensation of motion. The cool morning air woke me up the rest of the way, and all too soon I watched the sun rise. Turning away from the fantastic bloody reds and warm golds, I found myself on an unfamiliar street. Not a strange occurrence in and of itself, but still an unsettling one. I had grown up in a city where I knew every twist and turn, every alley and dumpster and hiding place. Not being able to plot a dozen ways home for various levels of pursuit left me feeling exposed, and eerily naked. I couldn't turn a corner here and disappear without a sight. No matter how long I stayed here, this would never be my city. The pavement here wasn't soaked in my blood and tears. This wasn't home.

Not much was open this early in the day. I had found myself in a friendly neighborhood, full of harmless people with benign lives, and no ulterior motives. It was a sleepy sort of place full of clean streets and potted trees. Not long after the sky turned blue, my feet stopped moving. Looking straight ahead, I was across the street from a game shop. It was a friendly sort of place, at home in this part of town. It was clean, and well organized, situated on the corner of the street junction. Swallowing my apprehension, I crossed the street when the sign on the front door was flipped to "Open."

Pushing open the door, I jumped when the bell rang, announcing my presence. No one was standing behind the counter, but the commotion from upstairs led me to believe that the shop's proprietor lived above the shop. Looking around, I found all sorts of things, a fair few I had never seen. There were the common games, like chess, and then there were the exotic ones that I didn't have names for. My heart stopped when I saw the tarot decks. Doing my best to maintain my composure, I forced my eyes to keep moving, and then I saw what I had been unconsciously looking for. Off to the side near the counter was a cardboard display full of Duel Monsters cards.

The shop-keeper came down the stairs then, a little old man with a bandana on his head and a fierce smile across his face. He was a cheerful fellow, who greeted me boisterously, with a 'good morning,' and a "Looking for anything in particular?" I hesitated a moment, and then said "Something special." He nodded in understanding, a contemplative expressive on his face. I saw his eyes sweep over my appearance, and I was strangely pleased when he didn't comment on my state of disarray. I looked like hell, and I knew it. I wouldn't be winning any beauty contests today.

Biting my lip, I made my way slowly over to the card display. It was colorful, playful, almost. And the buzzing was still there. Something was certainly odd about this game, but I just didn't know what. This wasn't the kind of power I knew how to manipulate. For a painful moment I longed for the life I had had a year ago: I had just been an ignorant young girl who was good at games. A year ago I would have never known how to even sense the faint buzzing of the Duel Monsters cards, and I would have never had any inclination to look for such a disturbance, regardless. My eyes closed, and my knees shook, and the longing for simpler times washed over me so strongly I nearly toppled over. Fighting off the feeling, I regained my balance and turned my attention back to the display.

I had to pick the right one. There were dozens of booster packs on display. The titles didn't mean a thing to me, though. All I knew was that Jasper's deck was missing something, and that something could be found before me. Closing my eyes once again, I retreated to that dark place in my mind that was nowhere near as comforting as it had used to be. The sunny meadow might as well as have been subterranean cave due to the changes it had undergone in my neglect.

My body wanted to start shaking again, but I fought it off. Kneeling down to the edge of the water, I reached out a trembling hand and brushed it across the surface. The glassy surface broke immediately, and ripples spread across it. The cool iciness of the water was welcoming in a sinister way. I looked down, examining the pool. Lights and shadows and symbols played in its depths, each with meanings within my grasp, if I just went deeper. The urge to join the water nearly made me vomit. The two halves of my soul were warring again, and if I didn't finish this unwise excursion soon, I would get caught in the crossfire again.

My fingertips brushed over the cool surface again, and the warring urges became stronger. Fighting both sides, I focused on the spots of light playing on the surface. The brightest spot of all was constantly moving. Using all of my strength, I forced my physical arm to rise, reaching out. The brightest spot of light finally stopped moving, and with a herculean effort I grabbed onto it lightly. Keeping my grip on the light in my hands, I stood once more and stepped away from the cold water.

My eyes opened, and I found myself once more in the game shop, standing before the display. My hand was raised before me, lightly touching one of the front packs. Grabbing it without consideration, I turned towards the counter, only to find the old man staring at me unapologetically. And beside him was one Mokuba's friends from yesterday, the Spikey-Haired One, staring at me just as intently. The resemblance between was overwhelming in that moment, and I knew that they were related. Meaning that the Spikey One probably lived here as well. Despite how useful the shop had been, and how much I truly wanted to explore it, I knew I would not be returning. Drawing attention to myself was the very last thing I needed to do right now.

I paused only a moment, before I walked leisurely towards the counter. Laying the card pack on the counter, I attempted a smile at the old man, before taking out my wallet. The sight of it seemed to spur the old man into action, lifting the card pack and entering the amounts into the cash register. The old man doesn't even hesitate before asking, "Are you in the Battle City tournament?" I laugh lightly, before shaking my head. As explanation, I say, "My cousin is. I thought he could use a good luck present." And it was then that Jasper became my cousin. I made a mental note to inform him of such. The last city we had been in, we had been siblings. Thankfully, we could pass as such. Something about the old man, though, just made me want to be honest with him, and 'cousins' is as honest an answer as I could give. It was close to the truth; anyway, I just neglected to say how distant a relation it was.

He nodded, accepting my answer without question. He commented offhandedly, "It's a good thing you got here early. I'm closing early to watch my grandson, Yugi" here he gestured to the Spikey One, "Compete in the tournament." I nodded noncommittally. "You know," he continued, "It was really something else what you did just now." I looked up, and he gave me a speculative glance. "Just standing there with your eyes closed, and then reaching out at random, you must trust the cards a lot," he finished. I tried to smile, but it came out awkwardly. "I'm just lucky sometimes," I gave in response. He nodded again, but the speculative look didn't leave his face. I quickly glanced at the Spikey- Yugi, I mentally corrected. He had been silent throughout the entire exchange, but his eyes were still watching me. I paid my dues, and bid the old man goodbye. Turning around, I began to walk out of the store.

I had nearly reached the door when Yugi called out to me. Against my better judgment, I waited in the open door. When he reached me I stepped outside, and he followed me. We looked at each other for a long while, seemingly sizing the other up. He looked less fierce now, and perhaps a few inches shorter. Rather, he had lost that look in your eye when all you thought about was winning. He looked younger, and much kinder now. I couldn't really explain the change, except that perhaps I had still been riding my adrenaline high when we had encountered each other before, and with all those chemicals in my veins, everything that moved had looked like a threat. Yugi was watching me in return, though his gaze was less accessing, and more embarrassed. Meeting his eyes, I gestured for him to begin.

"What you did for Mokuba yesterday was very nice of you," he began, but I raised a hand and cut him off. "It wasn't nice," I told him. He looked confused, so I elaborated, "I didn't help the kid because I was nice. I did it because it needed to be done." He looked like he understood, almost, which relieved me. I wouldn't have to stand here and chat any longer. I turned to leave, to hopefully disappear like I had managed before, but he grabbed onto the sleeve of my jacket. Apparently, we weren't done yet. The move reminded me of Keenan, which was ridiculous, as Keenan hadn't been nice at all.

I gave him a look, pointedly looking at his hand. He removed his hand as if I had burned him. Our stare down lasted a few more moments, before I turned and walked away. And this time, he let me.

…

It didn't take me nearly as long to find my way home as it did to get lost. The game shop was roughly three streets away from Jasper's apartment, which disturbed me just a bit. I ignored the feeling and went up the stairs. There was nothing to be done. I wasn't going to leave the country just because of proximity to some boy who would probably forget I existed in a few days. With any luck at all even Mokuba would forget I existed after enough time had passed.

I collapsed onto the sofa, and was surprised to find that Jasper's Duel Disk was still on the coffee table. He had been an early riser as along as I'd known him, but apparently last night had been later than I'd thought. He must still be sleeping it off. And as soon as I thought it, I was proved wrong. Jasper walked out of the kitchen holding two mugs, and a blank expression on his face. Not even twelve hours had passed since our little talk last night, and already I was screwing up. I raised my hands above my head and told Jazzy, "In my defense, I didn't start any fights this time."

His lips twitched, and he seemed to be holding back a smile. Shaking his head at me, he lowered one of the mugs onto the table before me, and then plopped his cushy armchair. Raising an eyebrow at him I raised my mug and took a cautious sniff of it, delighted to find hot chocolate. I drank it down quickly, more thirsty than I had thought, and thankfully it was cool enough not to scorch my throat.

Jasper drank his coffee more slowly, watching me with a speculative eye. Eager to keep the conversation from my whereabouts, I pulled the pack of Duel Monsters cards out of my pocket and slid it across the table to him. His expression quirked even more, and he laughed softly. "Consider it a peace offering," I explained. That made him laugh a bit harder. When he finally recovered he gave me a smile and said, "I honestly didn't think anyone would be able to find new cards until after the tournament. All the shops I've been to have been sold out solid for two weeks," He commented. "Thank you," Jazzy added, almost as an afterthought.

He opened the pack, and seemed extremely pleased with the contents. Jazzy held up one card in particular, waving it around with the look of an excited little boy on his face. "Do you even know what this is?" He questioned me boisterously. Obviously, we both knew I didn't, and my raised eyebrow confirmed it. Jasper held the card out to me, and I took it, giving it a cursory glance. It showed a glowing princess-type lady holding a sword, with a white dragon in the background. "Pretty," I commented, handing it back. Jazzy laughed disbelievingly at me, "It's more than pretty. It's a bloody powerful card. It's the _Stardust Revolutionary_! Do you not understand how momentous this is?!" I just gave him a look, saying "It's a card. I'm not going to get excited about a piece of paper. You can date the thing for all I care." Jazzy seemed to deflate a little at my words, coming back to the real world.

Suddenly, he got up and ran around the table, giving me a big hug. I was struck motionless, and I was really unsure of what to do, so I just patted his back a little awkwardly. Evidently, that was enough of a response, because then he returned to his side of the table. Trying to lighten the atmosphere, I said, "So it was a good pack, then?" Jasper rolled his eyes at me. "Yes," he said, "It's a fantastic pack, and now I might actually go on to win this thing. So, yes, Scarlet, you did good," he spelt out for me. Proving his words further, he reached out to his Duel Disk and removed his deck, shuffling the new cards into it.

Without further ado, he rose from his seated position and slipped the piece of metal over his forearm. I shuddered slightly at the sight: every time I saw him do it, it look more and more like putting on a shackle and throwing away the key. As soon as it was in place, Jasper stood straighter, like he was a knight going into battle. I shook off the image and grabbed both of our now empty mugs, washing them in the kitchen sink.

Jasper's voice rang throughout the apartment: "Why don't you come out with me today?" I gave him a look over my shoulder. "Come on, Scar," he told, "If I'm worried about you running off on your own around the city, then I won't be able to duel very well." My expression said clearly that that wasn't a good enough reason. "Okay," he reasoned, "How about a compromise? Come out today, and I won't ask you to do so ever again, not even if I make it to the finals," Jasper finished. Well, it couldn't be that bad. "Fine," I conceded. "Give me ten minutes. I look like hell," I told him.

And with that I retreated to my room, showering quickly and putting on fresh clothes. On a lark I applied some make-up to cover my dark circles and make me look a little less like a corpse. Minutes later Jasper and I were walking out the door, him with a big smile, and me with wet hair.

_**Author's note: This chapter is exactly three thousand, two hundred, and forty four words (3,244). **_

_**Not much to say. Kind of a filler chapter, but it gives a bit of insight into Scarlet, and you get to see her abilities. **_

_**Brownie points to anyone who reviews. **_

_**Lot's of Love,**_

_**Dustfinger's Cheering Section**_


	4. Encountering Kaiba

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!.**_

Just because I didn't want to play Duel Monsters, didn't mean I couldn't enjoy watching it. At least, that was Jasper's rationale. Truth be told, it wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be. It was actually something entirely worse. Calling them performing monkeys hadn't been far off. The amount of drama that went into a single duel was baffling. There was bad, off-key villainous laughter, and grown men crumbling before my eyes as their top monsters bit the dust. Many cried.

One thing that truly bothered me, was how every deck seemed to have a central theme. They were structurally unsound, most of them. There would be bug decks, and dragon decks, and psychic decks, and none of them seemed to realize that their so-called strategies were so precarious that they could be destroyed with a single card. I didn't even play the bloody game, and already all I could see were the flaws in logic. I nearly bit off my tongue trying not to shout out advice to Jasper's opponents. And believe me, they needed it. It seemed that every flaw I saw was equally clear to Jasper, and he quickly and efficiently exploited all of their weaknesses.

Jasper had won three duels before lunch, but he had also lost one. So far, the dragon princess, ahem, the _Stardust Revolutionary_ monster had played a minor role in Jazzy's duels so far. He only pulled her out when the odds were stacked against them, and that had happened only against the water duelist with a penchant for sea creatures. From what I could tell, she was a strong monster in her own right, with attack points that made the crowd gasp. In addition, every dragon on Jasper's side of the field appeared to gain points every turn she was on the field. The first time I had seen her hologram image, my eyes had nearly popped out from my head. Though on the card I hadn't noticed it, when she was life size we had more than a passing resemblance to each other. The dark blonde hair, the pale skin, the blue eyes… We could have been sisters. Or rather, a year ago we could have been sisters. She possessed a calm confidence and an effortless grace that I couldn't begin to imitate nowadays. I had been to hell and back, and the wear and tear showed in my countenance.

Every time I called her "the Dragon Princess" Jazzy got this weird look on his face, and laughed despite himself. Thankfully, Jasper appeared to have several dragons in his deck, and could make good use of her. I had the feeling that if anyone else messed up her name, Jasper would have been offended. Somehow, he knew I didn't mean it maliciously. It wasn't so much that I couldn't be bothered to learn her name; it was more that it was such a bloody mouthful. Already in the conversations we had between duels, I was just calling her "the Princess." It was only after our short lunch break that I finally got the joke. The Prince had always looked out for me, causing some people to mockingly call me "the Princess" back when I was actively involved in saving the world. I had, inadvertently, given a card who could have been me in a past life a nick name I had always hated.

I think half of why Jasper was so careful with her was because she looked like me. From what I had seen of other duelists, they tried to get their big hitter out on the field as fast as possible. They wanted to use their trump cards quick, and as a result, were often careless in their preparations, which made them easy pickings. Chances were, Jasper was uncomfortable sacrificing a card effigy of me while I was watching. Thankfully, no one else appeared to notice the resemblance, and I was able to observe from a distance in peace. Several times as I peered out from the shadows, I saw Yugi pass by Jasper's duels. He always stayed, and waited for it to end, eyes peeled, searching for something. Chances were, he was looking for his group of friends from the other day. The Battle City participants seemed to crowd around the duels while looking for opponents.

Yugi was back to looking blood thirsty, though that wasn't quite the right word for it. He was a warrior, picking his battles with care and precision. Some people made a fuss at his appearance, which let me know that he was a fairly well known duelist. For what, I had no idea. But chances were, I would soon be finding out. Jasper now needed only two more locator cards, and then he was in the finals. And Yugi had been circling his duels like a vulture. I stayed in the shadows, far out of sight, observing him. Yugi kept a cool expression on his face, watching everything, observing the world. Just like me.

But really, it was after the kid showed up that I became truly dedicated to hiding.

Mokuba appeared to be rather important to the running of the tournament, which honestly surprised me. Who let a kid have that much responsibility? Rather, what kid would want that much responsibility? When I was his age, being responsible was the last thing on my mind. But then again, I didn't think much of card games back then, either. These thoughts just reinforced my desire to keep my distance. The kid was obviously nothing like me, and the best thing I could do would be to hide in the shadows, so I didn't screw him up any more than he already was.

Of course, Mokuba's apparent authority where Battle City was concerned gave me an idea of just who, exactly, _Big Brother_ was. I had heard of Seto Kaiba before. Considering I had been in Domino for a few months, it was no wonder how. The whiz-kid genius billionaire seemed to make news wherever he went. People always liked to speculate on what the teenaged CEO was up to. Especially since he had been MIA the past few months, after, get this, a defeat while playing Duel Monsters. I mean, honestly. Who had a mental breakdown after losing a children's card game? Jasper seemed to reluctantly idolize him, due to his owning some rather rare cards. That didn't quite make sense to me. The cards you have aren't quite so crucial to a so-called strategy game, as the way you play them. A good player can win a game with a crappy hand, purely because he knows how to play it well. So it didn't matter to me what cards Seto Kaiba had in his deck, and Jasper being afraid of that deck seemed equally ridiculous. Of course, I didn't claim to be an expert at Duel Monsters. From what I could see, not all cards are created equal.

I refused to be afraid of the idea of Seto Kaiba, but that didn't mean I was eager to make his acquaintance. I knew instinctively that by hanging around Mokuba, that the kid's big brother would be more than present. So, for my own self-preservation, I was going to need to make sure that neither Yugi, nor Mokuba saw me hiding in the shadows. The last thing I needed was people prying into my life.

"You look a million miles away," Jasper's comment broke through my haze. I looked up at him and shook my head, before scanning the area around us cautiously. "Not quite a million," I told him, "But close enough." He nodded his understanding, and continued watching me speculatively. After a long moment he laughed, and informed me, "You have an admirer." I raised my eyebrows in question, and Jasper jerked his chin towards behind me and to the right. I pushed my napkin off the table, and watched it float to the ground, before leaning out of my chair to pick it up, taking the opportunity to look in the direction Jasper had indicated.

A tall, dark-haired young man watched me from across the courtyard, a thoughtful look on his face. I lingered as long as I could taking a few long moments to retrieve the napkin before rising quickly. "We need to leave," I told Jasper. He looked like he was going to protest, but I insisted "Now." The tone of my voice told him all he needed to know. We rose quickly, threw a few dollars on the table and walked away from the café tables. Using a storefront as a mirror, we could see the young man following us.

Thanking whatever higher power existed, we threw ourselves into the busy street. I pulled up the hood of my jacket, quickly stuffing my hair up under it. Jasper had followed my example, pulling a beanie out from his pocket and hiding his equally blonde hair. Now the brunette would likely lose us. People tended to search crowds using colors, which were more visible, instead of builds. He would be looking for two blonds, and not finding the shades he was looking for, he would give up his pursuit.

We turned off into an alley and made our way deeper, before Jasper flipped us around, holding me by my shoulders. "What's going on?" He demanded forcefully, seeming to restrain himself from shaking me. I could understand his frustration. If he had been hiding trouble from me, I would have been pissed. Even knowing that, I raised my hands and pushed it away. "I'm not hiding anything," I told Jasper. "I've seen him a few times before, and figured that erring on the side of caution would be best." He regarded me quietly for a moment, before bursting out laughing. "We just ran for our lives because you were feeling uncomfortable that a guy was interested in you?" When I didn't answer he laughed some more. "You're so bloody skittish," Jazzy told me, humor evident.

Feeling the need to defend myself, I told him "There was no way for me to know he was harmless. For all we know, he's one of _His_ generals, come to find us again!" Jazzy just kept right on laughing at me. "Scarlet," Jasper refocused, "You can't run away every time someone wants to get to know you. Keenan wouldn't have wanted-". I cut him off. "There's no way to know what Keenan would or wouldn't have wanted!" I argued.

Jasper's eyes blazed and I knew we were going to have another blowout. "He wouldn't have wanted you to spend the rest of your life hiding in alleys! He sure as hell wouldn't have wanted you running scared from human interaction!" Jasper took a deep breath. "He loved you, Scarlet," Jasper spoke softly. "More than anything, he would have wanted you to be happy."

I watched the young man in front of me carefully. Keenan was a bad topic for us, no matter what. In a way, Jasper blamed me for Keenan's death. His blame was nothing compared to my own guilt. I would always feel guilty for taking Jasper's big brother away from him. That blame sat on my shoulders alone, and nothing would ever make everything all right again.

I took a deep breath before answering Jasper. "I think you need to accept," I began, "That I'm never going to be comfortable again. Trusting anyone is out of the question after the things we've been through," I finished slowly, my tone almost sad. He sighed, frustrated with me. Jasper had led a good life before Haven, full of sparkling parties and lively people. Isolation destroyed him in a way it didn't affect me. Taking him away from an environment that he thrived in was just another weight on my shoulders. I searched my mind desperately, trying to find a way to change the subject.

Finally, I commented, "I haven't seen any Rare Hunters." The way his eyes hardened told me that this was probably the wrong thing to say. I recalled the way he had spoken about them and cringed internally. I had escaped the fire pan to jump into the fire. One lecture averted, and another about to begin.

"You shouldn't joke about them," Jasper told me, frowning heavily. "The stories I've heard"-

"Are just that," I cut in. "Stories."

His expression darkened even more. "Jasper," I began, trying to stop the volcano from erupting. "I know that you're just looking out for me," His expression didn't change. "But you need to accept that I am capable of looking out for myself sometimes." Jasper really didn't look happy at all. I tried another tactic. "I'm not even a duelist," I reminded him. "I'm in no danger from card hunters. I have no rare cards, so they have no reason to hurt me," my words faded out, but I could see them falling on deaf ears. Maybe it was the age difference that made him protective, but I knew it had more to do with feeling like it was his job to protect me now that Keenan was gone. I could understand, just a little. Except that Keenan had never done very much to keep me out of harm's way, trusting me to be able to protect myself, or at least trusting that he would always have time to intervene.

"So," I tried to break the tension. "How many more duels do you have before the semi-finals?" Jasper gave me a look that clearly stated that he understood what I was trying to do, but he obliged me anyway. "At the end of yesterday," He began, "I had four locator cards. I lost two this morning in a double ante duel, but then I won the next three duels, which brought me to five"- I cut in, "I was there. I watched. I remember." Jazzy smile ruefully. "I need six locator cards in all," He finished.

I took a moment to let that sink in. I hadn't realized that he would win so easily. Already Jasper had appeared to gain a small fan following, which made me very nervous. Laying low didn't involve a fan club. Thankfully, he had been smart enough to use a fake name. Caspian Balto was a young duelist from England who was taking a year off from college to explore Japan. A relative unknown in the current dueling capital of the world. Despite my protests he had written me into his legend, correctly stating that if no one knew anything about me than they look at us all the closer. Charlotte Bryan was his cousin, a quiet sort of girl who had never done anything but make honor roll. Charlotte was about as far from me as you could possibly imagine, and that was the point. Caspian "Casper" Balto was getting more attention than was good for either of us. It was only a matter of time before his more eager fans started bothering me. And my picture was the absolute last thing that needed to get out. Scarlet Warren was still a wanted criminal by some people's standards. Maybe Jasper could go off and live a normal life, but that wasn't an option for me. Either way, Jasper winning the tournament would be a very bad thing. If Jasper hadn't realized that already, than it wasn't my place to tell him. The second he understood the danger he had put both of us in, he would be sinking to the ground with guilt. Maybe there was a balance between being a wanted criminal and being a hermit, but the chances of finding it were slim.

Forcing a smile, I told him, "That's good. That's really good," I swallowed my apprehension. "I'm really proud of you, Jazzy." He smiled brightly with something like pride in his expression. It was then in that moment that I realized that part of him wanted my approval. As if my being proud of him was the closest he could get to his brother being proud of him again. The guilt weighed on me like a dark cloud. I would never be able to forgive myself for the lives I had been forced to destroy. No amount of time would ever be enough to make everything be alright again.

Forcing a happy smile for Jasper, I straightened my shoulders and smoothed my shirt. "We should get back out there," I mentioned. "You've got another duel to win if you want to make the finals." Jazzy laughed at me, but nodded his agreement, and we started to amble out of the dark alley. We had almost reached the light of day when a cloaked figure stepped out of the darkness, and blocked our path. He took another step forward, and the light lit up his bruised face. I knew him immediately. I would have known him anywhere. He was one of the suited goons who had tried to kidnap the kid the day before. As the knowledge registered my blood boiled and I readied for a fight.

I must have shifted my weight unconsciously, because suddenly Jasper clasped his free hand around my bicep, holding me securely in place. "He's why I don't want you running around alone," Jasper hissed in my ear. And I understood immediately that we were staring at a Rare Hunter.

Jasper unsuccessfully tried to push me behind him and step forward at the same time. "Get out of our way," Jasper demanded of the lumbering bruiser. Mr. Scarface grinned a little insanely, before saying in a sing-song tone "Defeat me in a duel first." The silence stretched on for a long moment, and then I burst out laughing.

My laughter rang out around the alley, echoing on the stone walls. Both Jasper and cloak guy looked at me incredulously. "You must be kidding me," I choked out the words, giggles still coming through. I was bent over at the waist, hands braced on my knees. "You're blocking our path until we play a children's card game with you?" There were nearly tears in my eyes. I straightened up at the look Jasper gave me, still chuckling. "Do the math, tough guy," I told our assailant. "I don't see you winning this fight."

There was a commotion at the front of the alley, and two more rare hunters entered the alley, joining their buddy before us. The numbers were more even now, but I knew I could still win this fight. My confidence wavered a bit as I saw two more figures enter the alley, blocking some of the already scarce light. I knew that the longer I waited, the messier this would be. And so, I struck.

Reaching to the side, I grabbed the trashcan lid that was leaning against the wall, and brought it up in a swing that connected fiercely with tough guys' shoulder. He screamed as I smashed his shoulder socket, and in response he tried to grab me but I was already moving on to bozo #2. The trashcan lid smashed into that mook's head. I heard rather than saw him hit the pavement, mercifully out cold. Next the lid became a shield, blocking tough guy's attack while I swung a fist at idiot #3's face, hitting his temple hard. I did a quick spin on the balls of my feet, twisting so that the lid hit #3 in the gut, while tough guy I caught with my foot, and swept his feet out from under him. He went down and hit his head on the brick wall. 3 made a grab at me, but before I could turn to deal with him, he went down. Looking over my shoulder I saw that Jasper had finally moved, and punched him out cold. Remembering the two bozos at the front still blocking our escape, I spun around in my crouched position and stood up quickly, throwing myself at the taller one, the more obvious threat.

Tall guy caught my fist in his hand before I could land a hit, so I swung the lid at him, but he dodged it, twisting me around so that my arm was caught behind my back. I stomped hard on his foot, and was rewarded for my efforts by being pushed up against the dirty brick wall. Thankfully, he had to let go of his hold on my arm to complete the maneuver, his only real advantage. As soon as my back hit solid wall, I used it to push off from and kick him off me. I dropped down in a defensive stance, trying to be prepared for the next assault. Though I was tall, most of my fighting advantage came from being quick and using mechanical advantage against my opponent. I could be too easily overpowered in a contest of pure strength. Taking a moment, I finally examined my adversary.

The first thing I registered was that he wasn't in a cloak. The next was that he was about my age, maybe a year younger or older, if that. My eyes went up and examined his face. Though I had never seen them look so cold, he had blue eyes I would know anywhere. They were the kid's blue eyes. This was Mokuba's big brother. Taking a chance, I flicked a glance over to the accomplice. There stood the Spikey-Haired One. Yugi. He watched me with a vaguely surprised and expectant expression. Straightening from my pose, I dropped my dustbin lid and gave Jasper a nod. He understood. No more fighting. The tall boy I had tumbled with watched me warily, so I addressed the other "Hello, Yugi."

Yugi tried valiantly to smile at me, but it didn't quite work out. He seemed amused. I raised an eyebrow at Yugi, and asked "Do you make it a habit to hand out in dark alleys where people are accosted by weirdoes' in cloaks?" I kicked one of the unconscious mooks to punctuate my words. "No," he answered me, "But you apparently do." I nodded. That was a fair assessment. "My natural habitat," I assured him. Yugi really did smile then, and turned to his friend. "Kaiba," he addressed my sparring partner, "This is Scarlet. She's the one who saved Mokuba yesterday."

Kaiba's eyes watched me appraisingly and perhaps with just a grain of grudging respect. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance," I said, even though it wasn't. I turned around to leave, but Jasper just had to open his mouth. "Casper Balto," Jasper introduced himself, moving forward to shake Yugi's hand. "You appear to already know my cousin, Charlotte," Jasper gestured to me. "I apologize for her manners. She has a tendency to strike first and ask questions later," The last bit was obviously directed at Kaiba, who ignored him, continuing to watch me with that cold look on his face.

Turning my back on the group, I called to Jasper. "Come on, we have things to do," I told him. Jazzy didn't answer, and when I turned back around, I understood why. Both of the teens wore Duel Disks on their arms, something I had missed during my quick scrap with Kaiba. Jasper was eyeing their equipment, likely thinking about how he only had to duel one of them, and then he would be in the finals. I crossed my arms over my chest and raised a single eyebrow at Jasper. He met my look almost bashfully. "Fine," I announced. "You play with your new friends. I'll go be anywhere else," I spoke as I began to walk away.

"Scarlet!" Someone called after me. I spun around on my feet surprised to find it was Yugi who had called after me, and not Jasper. "Wait," Yugi added needlessly. "My friends have gone missing," Yugi explained. "You remember them from yesterday, don't you? Have you seen them anywhere?" Yugi seemed almost frantic in his tone of voice, and it really wasn't any wonder why. With all the cloaked idiots running around, this was becoming a war zone real quick. "Can't say I've seen them," I mentioned conversationally. "But can't say I've been looking," I added as his expression seemed to droop. "I'll keep an eye open, and if I see them, I'll"- Jasper cut in, "Don't say you'll 'step in'," He requested of me.

I shrugged, studiously ignoring Kaiba who watched everything. "I do know how not to start fights," Kaiba made a sound that might have been a snort had it come from someone else. It was a vaguely amused and disbelieving sound. My anger flared at the teen who didn't even know me, but I controlled it before it showed. "Messenger pigeon it is," I said contemptuously before making my exit.

I walked out of the dark into the bright street, trying to decide where I would go next. My blood was thrumming now, and after the past two days I was itching for a real fight. I was almost sad Kaiba and I had ended our brawl, but it was probably for the best. The less I saw of him, the better. But honestly, it wasn't every day I met a boy who keep up with me in the ring. It would've been a good fight, made all the more sweet because there was no clear winner. He was stronger, and we were about equally fast, but I was more resourceful. Fights were won with dirty tricks. No one has ever won a fight fairly, and I couldn't help but wonder if Kaiba had what it took to be a formidable opponent.

Deciding for once to indulge my desire to pick a fight, I made my way down a side street, heading in a direction I vaguely thought would lead to the docks. Where there were ships, there were drunken sailors ready to be pissed off and talked into a good old fashioned brawl. With the way the past days had gone, there wasn't any harm in sharpening my skills.

_**Author's Note: This chapter is four thousand, three hundred and thirty eight (4,338) words, almost double the last chapter.**_

_**Same things as before apply. Any thoughts, questions, and concerns are welcomed. **_

_**I'd love to know what you think.**_

_**A special thank you to RadiantLightning, who was my only reviewer last chapter. Thank you for your input and encouragement.**_

_**And thank you Emo Chick, who reviewed chapter two. **_

_**Snaps for El3v3n and Yoko Sakura and Blank who reviewed the first chapter. **_

_**Thanks to everyone who's reading this, reviews or otherwise. **_

_**Have a nice day!**_

_**Lot's of Love,**_

_**Dustfinger's Cheering Section**_


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